One of the Bible passages that’s never far from my thoughts is Jesus’ teaching on the narrow gate:

"Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it." (Matthew 7:13-14)

I’ve just been thinking about how no one is born on Jesus’ side of the narrow gate; we all start out dancing down the wide path to destruction. Over the course of our lives, our routes along this path may vary dramatically, but there are ultimately only two choices: staying on the same old course, or stepping through the narrow gate to eternal life with Him.

Sadly, many will stay on the wide path to destruction for the duration, to their eternal regret. But some -- relatively few, He said -- will eventually discover and pass through the narrow gate, through repentance and trust in Him, to join Him in heaven forevermore.

If you are one who has passed through the gate, it doesn’t matter when you did it. Whether you are 8 or 80, or even younger or older, nothing that comes before that momentous event really matters, because taking this step changes everything: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Just rejoice that you did it, because the narrow gate is the door to freedom in Christ forevermore – even if you happen to find it when you’re locked up in a real bricks-and-mortar prison. In fact, the Lord often uses just such circumstances to call our attention to the narrow gate, free from the distractions of our normal sinful existences.

If you haven’t yet traversed the narrow gate, don’t wait another day. Consider how the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir describes the freedom that awaits you: